Letters: The danger of kids behaving badly; Māori ward referendum is democracy in action; don’t reverse the smacking ban

Letter of the week

Kids behaving badly

The Education Review Office report stating that New Zealand school students are the worst behaved in the OECD is an indictment on this country and makes one fear
for our future.

Then there is Heather du Plesis-Allan’s article (HoS, Mar 31) stating that teachers have lost the power in classes.

However, in both cases little or no mention is made of what is happening even before pupils walk through the school gates. The solution to the problem of student behaviour starts at home.

To our nation’s detriment, we have seen the decline in value of the family unit with a corresponding decline in its virtues. These values are seen in such virtues as kindness, empathy, compassion and good interpersonal skills.

These virtues are then given a chance to blossom as children get older into concern for the common good, community responsibility and respect for authority.

Maybe the ERO and society in general need to acknowledge and resurrect these values in order to arrest the destructive behaviour of students before it is too late and we descend into the morass of anarchy in our schools and perhaps society in general.

Bernard Walker, Tauranga.

Overworked GPs

Now you see them, now you don’t. It’s bad enough getting an appointment to see your GP but when you do it’s mainly to say goodbye as one after another they leave the sinking ship.

Depending where they practise GPs can generally feel overwhelmed and under-valued with burnout prevalent. GPs are a dedicated lot, giving rather than taking but after years of frustration with our system in NZ, even the most loyal begin to look elsewhere.

Unless funding and time constraints with patients are resolved we will continue to lose these professionals that should be at the top of the list to retain.

As availability becomes more difficult people requiring medical attention have no alternative but to attend hospital emergency departments, which are already under huge strain.

Surely Health Minister Dr Shane Reti understands this more than most.

Reg Dempster, Albany.

Democracy in action

The Government is proposing that local authorities that have introduced Māori wards without a local referendum will now have to submit their continuation to a referendum.

This move has been condemned by the board of Local Government NZ claiming that it is “overreach”.

However, many councillors who voted for the introduction of Māori wards had not campaigned on that issue, meaning that they had no mandate to introduce this change in voting patterns. A clear example of overreach.

If Māori wards do receive a mandate in a referendum that’s fine, if they don’t, equally fine. That’s democracy in action.

Nick Hamilton, Remuera.

Vile racism

Your Pasifika editor, Vaimoana Mase, writes of the need for safe spaces for some students on university campuses (HoS, Mar 31.)

She does not specifically mention one group that I think particularly need, and deserve, safe spaces, especially at this difficult time for them. That group is Jewish students.

Under a general “pro-Palestine” cover, all sorts of Jew hatred now thrives, including on university campuses.

Jewish students, and their supporters, should not be cowed into silence. They should not only be safe on campus, but free to express their views.

They need to be able to speak, and organise, against the particularly long-standing, pernicious, deadly and utterly vile racism they are the targets of.

Colin Parker, Onehunga.

Overseas train-ing

Of course your correspondent Alan Clanachan is correct in suggesting that increased motorway congestion and traffic volumes are nothing to be proud of (HoS, Mar 31). But maybe current and past governmental decision-makers have not got to grips with simple public transport reliability.

Why would you want to catch a train if there is no way to know if it arrives on time or at all.

European cities had their trains running punctually, to the minute in the 1960s and 70s, but 50 years on, this technology and reliability has seemingly not trickled through to New Zealand. Surely we can not be that slack, lazy or incompetent to get the basics of passenger railway transport right.

Any excuse to have public transport not delivering basic services is just that: an excuse.

New Zealand, or overseas companies that run the passenger railway network, should be held responsible by the Ministry of Transport, if there is such a thing like accountability.

René Blezer, Taupō.

Crime and punishment

Tom O’Toole’s letter “backing smacking” trotted out the old misconception that the ban on smacking is the root cause of parents’ problems raising their children and how some sort of utopia would be restored if they were allowed to again (HoS, Mar 31).

No law was ever brought into being to change human behaviour, if it did then why stop at banning smacking children?

Why not include burglary, rape and murder? Those crimes are punishable under the law and haven’t stopped either.

John Capener, Kawerau.

Cross at Greens

The Green Party parliamentarians show themselves to be hopelessly confused over what constitutes vandalism.

Following an attack on public property at Te Papa, which the police stood by and watched, they had themselves photographed in front of the damaged blacked over Treaty, obviously proud to be associated with this criminal act.

However, when illegal crossings are painted over they want the police to use valuable resources bringing the offenders to account for a similar criminal act.

Gavin Baker, Glendowie.

Outclassed, outplayed

Have you ever wondered and despaired that our national women’s cricket team doesn’t draw the crowds?

Look no further than the lacklustre matches against England these last few weeks. And the second ODI was the final nail in the coffin.

Where is the ambition? Where is the thrill of the chase? Where is the pride in representing your country?

Based on the absolutely embarrassing way the latest ODI finished, there is none of the above in this team.

I don’t think I’m alone in saying I will not be watching the White Ferns again.

Well done England. You deserve your resounding victory. The White Ferns were outclassed and outplayed at every turn.

Rename them the White Feathers.

Ruth Pretty, Matamata.

Wailing for whales

So Pacific indigenous leaders are urging for whales to be legally recognised as persons with inherent rights (HoS, Mar 31). This begs the question: Have all, or any, species of whales been consulted as to whether they want to be recognised as persons? The answer would be an emphatic no.

With the rights of children so woefully neglected it would make more sense for indigenous leaders, in fact all humans, to put their efforts into protecting our children from abuse.

Lorraine Kidd. Warkworth.